Ray Bourque played 21 seasons for the Boston Bruins, scored more goals and points than any other defenseman in NHL history, and finally lifted the Stanley Cup in his last game, in 2001, with Colorado. Boston never let go of him, and he found a new way to give back to the city.
What is Ray Bourque doing now?
As of November 2026, Ray Bourque is a co-owner of Tresca, a restaurant on Hanover Street in Boston’s North End, and he is listed in the restaurant’s ownership group with executive chef Rich Ansara, Bill Galatis and Peter Weber. He also coaches. In July 2026, he was behind the bench for Boston at the 3ICE summer tournament, the three-on-three league for former professionals.
| Ray Bourque: then and now | |
|---|---|
| Known for | Most goals, assists and points by an NHL defenseman |
| Position | Defense, shoots left |
| Born | 28 December 1960, Montreal, Quebec |
| Drafted | 1979, first round, eighth overall, Boston Bruins |
| NHL career | 22 seasons, 1,612 games, Boston and Colorado |
| Stanley Cup | 2001, Colorado Avalanche |
| Hall of Fame | Inducted 2004 |
| Current role | Restaurant co-owner and 3ICE coach, as of November 2026 |
| Business | Tresca, North End, Boston |
He started coaching in 2023, when he led Team Bourque to a 5-3 record and third place in his first 3ICE season. He came back in 2025 as coach of 3ICE Boston and was there again in the summer of 2026.
Away from the rink, the Bourque Family Foundation, which he co-founded in 2017, raises money for causes in New England. Its yearly Bourque 77K event at Tuscan Village in Salem, New Hampshire, was held on 17 May 2026. In January 2025, he launched Bourque’s Brew, a golden lager made with Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers and Legal Sea Foods, and The Boston Globe reported in November 2025 that the beer was back for a second year.
Ray Bourque’s restaurant in the North End: Tresca and Table 77
Tresca opened on 26 September 2005 and seats 120. A friend brought Bourque into the business a few years after he retired, and the restaurant reorganized with its four current owners in the summer of 2016, with Ansara running the kitchen. When the change was announced, Bourque was described as staying on the ownership and management team.
He is not a silent partner. Boston Man Magazine reported in 2019 that he likes to walk the room and talk to guests before Bruins games. The most requested seat is Table 77, a balcony table above Hanover Street with a photo of his No. 77 reveal at the entrance, and the menu carries a pasta called Gamberoni ala Bourque.
Ray Bourque’s draft: eighth overall in 1979
The Bruins took Raymond Jean Bourque 8th overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. He made the team as a teenager, scored 65 points in 80 games, and won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
He became the backbone of the Boston blue line for two decades. In 1982, the Bruins drafted another defenseman first overall, Gord Kluzak, and Bourque was still in Boston long after Kluzak’s career was over. He won the Norris Trophy five times: 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, and 1994.
Why did Ray Bourque change his number to 77?
Bourque wore No. 7 when he arrived, the number Phil Esposito had made famous in Boston. On 3 December 1987, the night the Bruins retired Esposito’s No. 7, Bourque pulled off his No. 7 jersey during the ceremony to reveal No. 77 underneath and handed the old one to Esposito. He wore 77 for the rest of his career. Both numbers hang in the rafters, and our list of Bruins jersey numbers has the rest.
Why Ray Bourque left the Bruins, and how he retired a champion
By 2000, the Bruins were fading, and Bourque asked for a trade to chase the Stanley Cup. On 6 March 2000, Boston sent him and Dave Andreychuk to Colorado for Brian Rolston, Samuel Pahlsson, Martin Grenier and a first-round pick.
It took one more full season. On 9 June 2001, Colorado beat New Jersey 3-1 in Game 7 of the Final, and captain Joe Sakic handed the Cup to Bourque before lifting it himself. He retired a few weeks later.
Ray Bourque’s stats: the most goals, assists and points by a defenseman
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-80 | Boston | 80 | 17 | 48 | 65 |
| 1980-81 | Boston | 67 | 27 | 29 | 56 |
| 1981-82 | Boston | 65 | 17 | 49 | 66 |
| 1982-83 | Boston | 65 | 22 | 51 | 73 |
| 1983-84 | Boston | 78 | 31 | 65 | 96 |
| 1984-85 | Boston | 73 | 20 | 66 | 86 |
| 1985-86 | Boston | 74 | 19 | 58 | 77 |
| 1986-87 | Boston | 78 | 23 | 72 | 95 |
| 1987-88 | Boston | 78 | 17 | 64 | 81 |
| 1988-89 | Boston | 60 | 18 | 43 | 61 |
| 1989-90 | Boston | 76 | 19 | 65 | 84 |
| 1990-91 | Boston | 76 | 21 | 73 | 94 |
| 1991-92 | Boston | 80 | 21 | 60 | 81 |
| 1992-93 | Boston | 78 | 19 | 63 | 82 |
| 1993-94 | Boston | 72 | 20 | 71 | 91 |
| 1994-95 | Boston | 46 | 12 | 31 | 43 |
| 1995-96 | Boston | 82 | 20 | 62 | 82 |
| 1996-97 | Boston | 62 | 19 | 31 | 50 |
| 1997-98 | Boston | 82 | 13 | 35 | 48 |
| 1998-99 | Boston | 81 | 10 | 47 | 57 |
| 1999-00 | Boston | 65 | 10 | 28 | 38 |
| 1999-00 | Colorado | 14 | 8 | 6 | 14 |
| 2000-01 | Colorado | 80 | 7 | 52 | 59 |
| Total | 1,612 | 410 | 1,169 | 1,579 |
Figures are from Hockey-Reference. He scored 1,506 of his points in a Bruins jersey and added 180 points in 214 playoff games.
The Stanley Cup came in the 1,826th NHL game of Ray Bourque’s career, counting regular season and playoffs, and it was his last. He also had ten seasons with at least 80 points.
Our guides explain how to watch the Boston Bruins and how to watch the Colorado Avalanche.
Is Ray Bourque in the Hall of Fame?
Yes. Ray Bourque was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004, and he is part of our list of Hockey Hall of Fame inductees. The Bruins retired his No. 77 on 4 October 2001, and the Avalanche did the same on 24 November 2001. In 2017, the NHL named him one of its 100 greatest players.
Read more:
